Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The First Amendment Only For Some, Part IV

Here is what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in the Huffington Post: 

"Fans of enlightenment, democracy and justice can take comfort from a significant victory north of Wisconsin border. Fox News will not be moving into Canada after all! The reason: Canada regulators announced last week they would reject efforts by Canada's right wing Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to repeal a law that forbids lying on broadcast news.
Canada's Radio Act requires that "a licenser may not broadcast . . . any false or misleading news." The provision has kept Fox News and right wing talk radio out of Canada and helped make Canada a model for liberal democracy and freedom. As a result of that law, Canadians enjoy high quality news coverage including the kind of foreign affairs and investigative journalism that flourished in this country before Ronald Reagan abolished the "Fairness Doctrine" in 1987. Political dialogue in Canada is marked by civility, modesty, honesty, collegiality, and idealism that have pretty much disappeared on the U.S. airwaves."

Wow.  Let's only allow speech that is civil, modest, honest, collegial and idealistic.  And who better to monitor speech to ensure our tender ears do not hear or our tender eyes do not fall upon anything "false or misleading"  (say perhaps like Walter Cronkite lying about the outcome of the Tet Offensive?), than who else, the Government?  That is precisely what RFK Jr. is suggesting.  I like to think his father and uncle are rolling over in their graves.

1 comment:

  1. Well, I appreciate that you're giving the father & uncles the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think there'll be any grave rolling on this particular issue. (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20028057-10391698.html)
    Politics-as-family-business is always a sketchy idea, in my book. But I'm thinking dear Canada takes a more tepid approach toward free speech than we do. And Deb - That Headline! The US Bill of Rights doesn't apply to the Maple Leaf States... right?

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